Diasporus majeensis

Diasporus majeensis
Abel Batista

Chucantí Tink Frog

Diasporus majeensis

Critically Endangered [CR]
Diasporus majeensis
Abel Batista

Chucantí Tink Frog

Diasporus majeensis

Critically Endangered [CR]

Diasporus is a genus containing many cryptic species of small frogs with short legs. They are often known as "tink" or "dink" frogs due to their characteristic call.

This species has been listed as Critically Endangered [CR] by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 2019 due to its small known area of occupancy and nearby threats to its habitat in the form of agriculture and logging pressures.

Identification

A small frog (1.5 - 2.5 cm) with a rounded nose and mostly smooth skin with small dispersed warts on top. Brown or reddish overall, sometimes with dark markings above. Vocal sac and underside translucent. Only the lower part of the ear (about half of the ring) is visible, membrane absent. Finger I is shorter than finger II, and the fingertips have expanded pads (less obvious on finger I) without fringes or webbing.

For more specific identification details, including a taxonomic key for the genus Diasporus, see Batista et al. (2016)

Song: Advertisement call a single, short note (0.001 - 0.002 s) given about 12 times per minute. It is said to resemble a whistle.

Male: Smaller than the female (15.3 - 21.8 mm).

Female: Larger than the male (22.3 - 25.5 mm).

D. majeensis holotype
Batista et al. (2016)
Ejemplar de Diasporus majeensis de Batista et al. (2016).
Batista et al. (2016)
Original examples of Diasporus majeensis from Batista et al. (2016) Click on an image to view it larger.

Distribution

To date, this species has only been encountered in Cerro Chucantí.

Biology and Natural History

One of the most locally abundant species in the cloud forest of the Reserve, apparently encountered most often from October - January. The describing paper notes that this species was heard calling at 18.5 °C at night around the end of the dry season (December). It hides in bromeliad leaves during the day.

Habitat: This species is only encountered in eastern Panamanian montane forest above 1,300 m in elevation. This environment is characterized by trees covered in moss and an understory dominated by bromeliads. The frogs are usually found between 0.5 - 2.0 m above the ground in bromeliad foliage.

Diet: Not yet known, but it is expected to be small arthropods (crickets, cockroaches, ants, and isopods).

Etymology

The species name "majeensisrefers to the Cordillera de Majé, the mountains that include Cerro Chucantí, where this species was first described.

References

iNat Observations
IUCN
  • Batista, A., G. Köhler, K. Mebert, A. Hertz, & M. Vesely (2016). An integrative approach to reveal speciation and species richness in the genus Diasporus (Amphibia: Anura: Eleutherodactylidae) in eastern Panama. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 178: 267-311. (Link)
  • Batista, A., K. Mebert, M. Miranda, O. Garcés, R. Fuentes & M. Ponce (2020). Endemism on a threatened sky island: new and rare species of herpetofauna from Cerro Chucantí, Eastern Panama. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. 14(2) [General Section]: 27–46 (e237). (Link)